United Nations Daily Highlights, 02-11-21

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From: The United Nations Home Page at <http://www.un.org> - email: unnews@un.org

OF THE NOON BRIEFING

BY STEPHANE

DUJARRIC

ASSOCIATE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS

UN

HEADQUARTERS, NEW YORK

Thursday, November 21, 2002

ANNAN CONDEMNS PALESTINIAN SUICIDE BOMBING IN JERUSALEM

In a statement, Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemned in the strongest possible terms the Palestinian suicide bombing in Jerusalem today that killed at least eleven Israelis and injured dozens more, including many children. He expressed his profound condolences to the families of the victims.

As he has made clear repeatedly, the Secretary-General believes that such attacks are utterly reprehensible and only serve to spur further hatred and mistrust.

The Secretary-General appealed to all concerned not to allow the scourge of terrorism to blind them to the pressing need for an intensive effort to bring peace between Israelis and Palestinians. He continues to believe that the road map for achieving a two-state solution being developed by the Quartet can play a vital role in breaking the cycle of violence and promoting a peaceful settlement.

Stressing again that the conflict can only be resolved through negotiations, the Secretary-General urged all sides to desist from all forms of violence, as demanded in Security Council resolution 1435 (2002).

ANNAN WELCOMES RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS IN MYANMAR

The Secretary-General, in a statement, welcomed the release of political prisoners that began in Yangon on Thursday following a statement by the Government that 115 political prisoners would be freed, including many members of the National League for Democracy (NLD).

During his visit from November 12-16, the Secretary-Generals Special Envoy, Razali Ismail, strongly urged the Government to release political prisoners in a large number at one time, so that more than 200 political detainees would have been released by the end of 2002.

The Secretary-General hopes this first large-scale release will provide fresh momentum for the national reconciliation process in Myanmar.

SECRETARY-GENERAL DISCUSSES NEW VISION FOR GLOBAL SECURITY

The Secretary-General flew this morning from Croatia to the Netherlands, where he and his wife Nane had a private lunch with Queen Beatrix at The Hague.

They then drove to Tilburg, in the southern Netherlands, where the Secretary-General received an honorary doctorate from the University of Tilburg and addressed the University about the need for a new vision of global security that would respect human rights, confront the threat of terrorism and draw upon the resources and legitimacy of multilateral cooperation.

He noted the competing claims of sovereignty and intervention, asserting, After Srebrenica, after Rwanda, after genocide, all of us need to affirm that sovereignty means responsibilities as well as power; and that among those responsibilities, none is more important than protecting citizens from violence in war.

He noted that, since the September 11 terror attacks, there was a danger that crucial liberties could be sacrificed in pursuit of security, and he said that any sacrifice of freedom or the rule of law within States could hand the terrorists a victory that no act of theirs alone could possibly bring.

ANNAN: IF IRAQI COMPLIES, CASE FOR FORCE WILL DIMINISH

While the Secretary-General was at Tilburg University, he took some questions from the press, with one reporter asking him whether there was a proper chance for diplomacy to work in Iraq.

He responded that the chief UN weapons inspectors had been in Baghdad this week, saying, From the accounts that I have received, it did go well.

The important point, he said, was that if Iraq complies with UN resolutions and the inspectors are able to complete their work, then I think the arguments for military action will be considerably diminished.

Asked about a US request to some 60 countries to commit troops in the event that Iraq does not comply, the Secretary-General responded, Its not up to me to advise the United States on how to prepare for certain eventualities. He added that for now, the focus was on effective inspections.

The Spokesman declined to respond to comments by US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, concerning the Secretary-Generals earlier remarks doubting that the no-fly zones would be taken up by the Security Council as a violation of Resolution 1441.

However, the Spokesman said the Secretary-General's comments conveyed his own observations on the views of Security Council members, as Annan has sometimes done in the past. He noted that Annan earlier had given his view that the Security Council would vote unanimously in favor of the resolution on Iraq, and was later proved right.

UN ADVANCE TEAM AT WORK PREPARING FOR IRAQ INSPECTIONS

With the arrival in Baghdad of additional 16 persons on Wednesday, the advance team of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspections Commission (UNMOVIC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), now totaling over 30, is hard at work to get the Baghdad operations centre for weapons inspections up and running in time for the resumption of inspections on November 27.

The advance team includes administrative staff, computer and communications experts, medics and security personnel. The first team of inspectors from UNMOVIC and the IAEA is scheduled to arrive in Baghdad on November 25.

Asked about the activities of UNMOVIC Executive Chairman Hans Blix, the Spokesman said that Blix will be in New York Monday, when he is expected to brief the Security Council in its closed consultations in the afternoon.

SECURITY COUNCIL DISCUSSES PEACE PROCESS IN BOUGAINVILLE

The Security Council held an open meeting on Bougainville this morning. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Kieran Prendergast for Political Affairs updated the Council on the peace process and weapons collection in Bougainville, and touched upon issues that remained to be resolved with the assistance of the United Nations.

Prendergast informed the Council that the Secretary-General has sent a letter to the President of the Security Council, informing it of his intention and seeking its endorsement to extend the mandate of UN Political Office in Bougainville by another year, on the basis of requests from the Bougainville government and parties to the Bougainville Peace Agreement.

This afternoon at 3:30, the Security Council is scheduled to hold a private meeting with troop contributing countries to the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus.

JOINT COMMISSION FOR ANGOLAS PEACE PROCESS FINISHES WORK

Today in Luanda, the Joint Commission for the Angolan peace process finished its work, and, in a closing ceremony, the parties involved in the Commission the United Nations, the Angolan Government, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) and the troika of observers signed a declaration stating that the main tasks of the Angolan peace process have been completed.

The declaration was signed by the Secretary-Generals Special Representative, Ibrahim Gambari, in his capacity as Chairman of the Joint Commission.

The Joint Commission recognized that the reasons to support the maintenance of sanctions against UNITA have ceased to exist and recommended that the Security Council consider the immediate lifting of all the sanctions against UNITA.

Gambari said today that the completion of the Joint Commissions work marked a signpost in the history of the Angolan people, with war having been replaced by a spirit of amity and fraternity. He added, The consolidation of peace is not an event, but a process, just as national reconciliation is in fact a long-drawn undertaking.

UN MISSION REPORTS SLOW DISARMAMENT PROGRESS IN AFGHANISTAN

The disarmament exercise in Sholgara, Northern Afghanistan is not going well, and the speed of the process and the amount of arms collected have not met the expections, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said today.

To address the slow progress, Generals Ustad Atta Mohammad and Abdul Rashid Dostum held meetings on Wednesday and this morning, together with other member of the Security Commission, which is composed of representatives from the key military factions in the North as well as a representative from the United Nations.

UNICEF SAYS MALNUTRITION IN IRAQ AT LOWEST LEVEL SINCE 1996

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has released a new survey today indicating the malnutrition in Iraqi children has fallen to the lowest level since 1996.

UNICEF says the improvement can be attributed to the combination of the lifting of the cap on oil sales, continued expenditure by the Iraq authorities of the majority of the oil-for-food funds on food, the success of nutrition screening in the Community Child Care Units and two good years of rainfall and crop harvests.

WFP LAUNCHES NEW CAMPAIGN ON AFRICAN HUNGER CRISIS

The World Food Programme (WFP) today announced a new campaign, called Africa Hunger Alert, in response to growing concern from the general public about the hunger crisis gripping the continent.

More than 38 million Africans are affected by a crisis that has grown more acute in the wake of major emergencies in Southern part of the continent and the Horn of Africa. WFP Executive Director James Morris said that without a massive response, the humanitarian community will not be able to cope with the disaster.

The new campaign, which will be launched on December 16, is a response to grassroots initiatives from all over the world.

ILO CITES COUNTRIES FOR VIOLATIONS OF TRADE UNION RIGHTS

The International Labour Organization (ILO) came out today with its report, issued every three years, on serious infringements of freedom of association and violations of trade union rights, in which it cited Belarus, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Zimbabwe for serious cases of labor violations.

The ILO Committee on Freedom of Association drew special attention to Belarus, where it noted with deep alarm the serious deterioration in trade union rights, including what appeared to be a manipulation of the trade union movement.

In Colombia, the report listed allegations of attempted murders, abductions and threats, while it also noted the forcible harassment of union members in Zimbabwe and Ecuador. In Venezuela, it noted allegations of the unfair dismissal of 3,500 workers in the state of Trujillo.

OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Asked about the response by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash to the Secretary-Generals recent proposal on Cyprus, the Spokesman said the United Nations has not received any answer from Denktash. He noted the Secretary-Generals recent statement on the need to find a way to get the negotiations under way urgently.

The Secretary-General today issued a message on a project, organized by the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, on Arts as a Mediator of Tolerance, in which he says that artists have a special role to play in the global struggle for peace, development and human rights. He says, Art is a weapon against ignorance and hatred, and an agent of public awareness.

United Nations humanitarian agencies in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire today launched an Emergency Flash Appeal for $15.9 million to assist 3.9 million people affected by the current crisis, to cover their needs until the end of January 2003. The appeal will cover displaced and destitute Ivoirians and those who have been forced to flee into neighboring Ghana, Mali and Burkina Faso.

Officials of eight Asian countries are meeting in Tianjin, China, today to discuss the disposal of computers and other electronic items, says the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). The countries are meeting under the auspices of the Basel Convention on the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal to discuss what to do with e-wastes old computers, printers and other related equipment.

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